We installed two monumental stars in a defunct tannery in Amilly, France. The structures, built in situ, spanned over thirty feet point to point. Using simple vernacular stud construction they delivered iconographic pow, encouraging visitors to take a fresh look at the spatial potentials of an industrial site in the process of transformation.

One seven pointed star hovers dexterously above the exhibition space clipped to the existing concrete structure. The second steps out between columns on the ground floor, balancing precariously over the tannery tanks. The two mischievous protagonists perform in dialogue with the idiosyncrasies of the industrial building as well as the landscape beyond.

The three dimensional supergraphics, viewed from above, below and at eye level, engage multiple and overlapping vantage points, suggesting that challenging geometries can be arrived at through simple, approachable techniques independent of costly contemporary fabrication facilities. All elements in the project were produced and assembled on site using tools germane to conventional construction: a mill saw, a table saw, a pneumatic stapler and a few screw guns. The design and fabrication process was open to the public.

POP IT UP, 2013

Amilly, France

Principals:

Anya Sirota

Jean Louis Farges

Curator:

Christophe Ponceau

Project team:

Missy Ablin

Allen Gillers

James Chesnut

With assistance from:

Christopher Reznich, Erika Lindsay, Catharine Pyenson, Sydney Brown

Thanks and support:

City of Amilly, Les Tanneries, le FRAC-Centre, Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning, University of Michigan